In combat vehicles, armor is generally placed on the vehicle to protect the occupants from injury or to lessen the type and severity of injuries received when an enemy hits the combat vehicle with a projectile.
In addition, combatants are constantly working to improve projectile apparatus and methods of deployment. In some instances, the projectiles are improved to increase their ability to pierce armor of various types. Similarly, other combatants seek to improve armor to defeat the latest in projectile technology. Therefore, combatants are constantly seeking to improve armor to protect the troops that operate combat vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,318,301 to Eger issued May 4, 1943 titled “BULLET RESISTING ARMOR” and is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, Eger describes a plurality of metal strips embedded in overlapping relation in a rubber composition, each strip lying at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the exposed face of the armor, and including a cushion of rubber composition lying at the back of the plurality of strips, and also including a metal base plate bonded to the cushion of rubber composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,738,297 to Pfistershammer issued Mar. 13, 1956 titled “HONEY-COMB-TYPE STRUCTURAL MATERIALS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME” and is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, Pfistershammer describes structural materials having a lattice-like form and consisting at least in part of a component of great strength and ductility (basic material) such as steel, aluminum and the like, or a synthetic material of suitable nature, such as a polyamide, at least part of the basic material being formed in such a manner as to provide curved lines of stress in every direction of stress of the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,768 to Eichelberger issued Jun. 13, 1967 titled “PANELS FOR PROTECTION OF ARMOR AGAINST SHAPED CHARGES” and is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, Eichelberger describes panels which may be applied over the armor of combat tanks to enable such vehicles to better resist, withstand and combat the heretofore serious offensive power of weapons employing shaped charge projectiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,818 to King issued Mar. 11, 1969 titled “LIGHTWEIGHT PROTECTIVE ARMOR PLATE” and is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, King describes an improved lightweight armor plate comprising a plurality of energy-dissipating elements embedded in a non-metallic body in spaced apart relationship, wherein a minimum number of the energy-dissipating elements are adapted to be shattered when subjected to the impact of a projectile thereagainst while causing fragmentation of the projectile to effectively dissipate its energy so as to stop or divert the projectile.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,910 to McKee issued Sep. 22, 1992 titled “POLYPHASE ARMOR WITH SPOILER PLATE” and is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, McKee describes composite armor comprising a corrugated metal spoiler plate in front of and spaced from high alumina ceramic tiles backed by an aluminum anvil.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,690 to Smirlock et al. issued Dec. 15, 1992 titled “SURVIVABILITY ENHANCEMENT” and is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, Smirlock et al. describe a survivability enhancement system that includes first separable fastener structure fixed on the surface of the vehicle or system whose survivability is to be enhanced, and an array of armor tiles. The armor tiles provide a composite supplementary layer of armor that maintains attachment at effective levels even as armor tiles are subjected to large shear forces (for example, upon ballistic impact and shattering of an adjacent tile) and that has effective force dissipation characteristics. Each armor tile has opposed surfaces with second separable fastener structure complementary to the first separable fastener structure secured to one of its surfaces, one of the separable fastener structures having a multiplicity of projecting hooking elements and the cooperating fastener structure having complementary structure that is releasably interengageable with the hooking elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,238,730 to Apichatachutapan et al. issued Jul. 3, 2007 titled “VISCOELASTIC POLYURETHANE FOAM” and is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, Apichatachutapan et al. describe a viscoelastic polyurethane foam being flame retardant and having a density of greater than two and a half pounds per cubic foot that comprises a reaction product of an isocyanate component, an isocyanate-reactive blend, and a chain extender. The isocyanate-reactive blend includes a first isocyanate-reactive component and a second isocyanate-reactive component. The first isocyanate-reactive component includes at least 60 parts by weight of ethylene oxide (EO) based on 100 parts by weight of the first isocyanate-reactive component and the second isocyanate-reactive component includes at most 30 parts by weight of EO based on 100 parts by weight of the second isocyanate-reactive component. The chain extender is reactive with the isocyanate component and has a backbone chain with from two to eight carbon atoms and is present in an amount of from 5 to 50 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the foam. A composition useful in making the viscoelastic polyurethane foam is also disclosed.
There is a need for improved armor for vehicles and buildings.